Postcard from Torino: Alpine skiing at Sestriere Borgata

Alpine skiing during the Paralympic Games is one of the most exciting sports to watch as a spectator. The athletes – in the three categories of visually impaired, standing and sitting – race down the mountain at speeds of over 100 kilometres per hour.

Skiers with a visual impairment ski with a sighted guide who can call out directions on the course, while athletes in the sitting and standing categories use equipment that is adapted to their needs.

The four Alpine events at the Paralympic Winter Games are the downhill, the super-G, the giant slalom, and the slalom – just as in the Olympic Winter Games.

Taking place in Sestriere Borgata – 100 kilometres from Torino – the Alpine course mixes flat stretches with technical bends and steeper, faster areas with alternating turns.